The experiences and needs of female adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder
Open accessAbstract
There is limited large-scale research into the lived experiences of female adults who have an autism spectrum disorder with no co-occurring intellectual disability. Drawing on the findings of an Australia-wide survey, this report presents self-report data from n = 82 women with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder in the areas of health, education, employment, social and community activities. Where relevant, comparisons are provided with the male subset of the same study population; however, in the majority of analyses, no discernible gender differences emerged. The findings highlight the diverse and complex challenges faced by women with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, including high levels of mental health disorder, unmet support needs in education settings and the workplace, and social exclusion and isolation.
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Many autistic adults report a need and desire for psychotherapy.
“and many autistic adults also report a need and desire for psychotherapy (Baldwin & Costley, 2016;Crane et al., 2019).”
From A mixed methods study of autistic adults' mental health therapy experiences (2023) · cites this paper as Baldwin & Costley, 2016
Cites
A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions
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“In one revealing study, Dworzynski et al. (2012) showed that girls who scored highly on a screening test for autistic-like traits were less likely than equivalent scoring boys to meet clinical diagnostic criteria for ASD, especially in the absence of accompanying intellectual or behavioural…”
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“Epidemiological studies, which apply clinical diagnostic criteria to general population samples, have indicated that actual male to female ratios for ASD prevalence may be as low as 2.5:1 (Kim et al., 2011) or 1.8:1 (Mattila et al., 2011).”
BackgroundInfluentialAttenuation of Typical Sex Differences in 800 Adults with Autism vs. 3,900 Controls
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“Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions
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“…IQ (Lehnhardt et al., 2016; Nydén et al., 2010; Wilson et al., 2016), executive function (Lehnhardt et al., 2016; Nydén et al., 2010), psychosocial functioning (Baldwin & Costley, 2016; E. Rydén & Bejerot, 2008) or mental illness (Geurts & Jansen, 2012; Russell et al., 2016; Wilson et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialA qualitative exploration of the female experience of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
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The lived experience of autistic adults in employment: a systematic search and synthesis
Thorpe, D., McKinlay, M., Richards, J., Sang, K., & Stewart, M. E. (2024) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2022.0114 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
A mixed methods study of autistic adults' mental health therapy experiences
Mazurek, M. O., Pappagianopoulos, J., Brunt, S., Sadikova, E., Nevill, R., Menezes, M., & Harkins, C. (2023) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2835 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
- Authors
- Baldwin, S., & Costley, D.
- Affiliations
- Arthritis Australia (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Costley, Debra
- ORCID
- Costley, Debra
- Venue
- Autism
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-06-25
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 483-495
- ISSN
- 1362-3613 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7005
- OpenAlex
- W2279904543
- Cited by
- 248
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 6
- FWCI
- 6.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Autism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Nottingham ePrints (University of Nottingham) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- high-functioning autism, autistic women, lived experience, mental health, social exclusion, social isolation, employment, gender differences, support needs
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Australia, Mental Disorders, Education, Employment, Female, Health Services, Health Services Needs and Demand, Humans, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Psychological Distance, Social Isolation, Social Support, Women, Young Adult, Self Report
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